


Rapunzel on the Road

by Redrikki



Category: Black Lightning (TV)
Genre: Chromatic Yuletide, F/M, Misses Clause Challenge, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 19:55:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17107127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redrikki/pseuds/Redrikki
Summary: Jennifer is miles past done being kept like a princess in a tower. Tag to episode 2.09.





	Rapunzel on the Road

**Author's Note:**

  * For [queenbookwench](https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenbookwench/gifts).



> I have a lot of thoughts about Jennifer and the road to "Gift of the Magi." This is me working through them. 
> 
> Doubles as as my fill for the "damsels in distress" prompt for [Gen Prompt Bingo](https://genprompt-bingo.dreamwidth.org).

Jennifer drove into the night leaving Freeland, her family, Tobias Whale, and all that bullshit behind her. The road disappeared into darkness beyond the reach of the headlights like the perfect metaphor for their situation. They had no money, no plan, and no clue what came next. All Jen knew was that Khalil couldn’t go back and she wouldn’t be leaving him.

Khalil sat slumped, eyes closed, in the passenger seat beside her. Even with the antidote, he still looked like crap. His normally warm brown skin looked ashy and the cuts on his face stood out in stark relief. A decent haircut was about the only thing he had going for him. This whole being-on-the-run thing might get them killed, but at least Jen had gotten to cut off those nasty-ass dreads.

Sensing her eyes on him, Khalil shot her a strained smile and made an effort to straighten up. The movement made him wince and press a hand to his battered ribs.

“You alright?” Jen asked worriedly. “Super-healing not kicking in yet?”

“Oh, it’s kicking in,” Khalil said, rolling his shoulders back with a grimace, “just not fast enough.” He shook his head. “We better hope Tobias doesn’t send anyone else, cause right now I’m not sure I can protect you.”

Protect her. That was a good one. Jen bit back a snort and glanced over at Khalil to see if he was joking. The earnest look on his face said otherwise. Her hand tightened on the wheel. “Something about me seem fragile to you?”

He probably didn’t deserve the tone, but she was miles past done being treated like some helpless little princess. First Dad and Anissa had tried to keep their whole superheroes thing from her like that was somehow supposed to protect her from the blowback. Then her parents decided to lock her up like she was freaking Rapunzel. Khalil might think coming round, asking her to let down her hair, was him rescuing her, but he was straight tripping. He hadn’t rescued shit; he’d just given her a reason to jump. She had thought he was smart enough to know that.

“In case you missed it, I’m the one who saved _your_ life, like, a lot.” Her hands were growing dangerously hot. She did a slow exhale to calm down before she melted the steering wheel. 

“I know you did,” he said, eying her warily, “and I am insanely grateful. I just—” he thunked his head back against the headrest with a groan. “You were the Queen of Garfield, and I feel like I ruined it.”

“Ah, yeah, you did,” Jen said without thinking and Khalil made a noise like a kicked puppy. “Come on, man,” she said, giving him a playful nudge, “you know I always hated that nickname.” 

He had screwed up bad and they both knew it. If he hadn’t dumped her, if he hadn’t gotten in bed with Tobias Whale, if he hadn’t attacked the school, well, then they probably wouldn’t have been in this mess. Half the reason she was in this car was because the boy clearly couldn’t be trusted to make good decisions, but he wasn’t exactly dragging her down. 

Jennifer was here because she wanted to be here. She was just so sick everything being Queen of Garfield had entailed. She was sick of the rules and the pressure and pretending to be the perfect little daughter in the perfect little family. The truth was, she’d been sick of it for a lot longer than she wanted to admit. She wasn’t a princess in a tower or the queen of some high school. She was the storm and she was done being contained. 

Khalil shook his head with a rueful smile. “Well, you’re pretty from from the Queen of Garfield now.” 

The boy didn’t know the half of it. Jennifer Pierce, straight-A student and track star, had been gone for a while. Jennifer Pierce, hospital-robbing, assassin-torturing badass, was the one behind the wheel.

“Getting further every day,” she said and accelerated into the darkness.


End file.
